Spring catch



Jan. 10, 1939.

H. H RAYMOND 2,143,575

SPRING CATCH I Fi led Jan. 9, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet l HOPA CE H/PAWOND Jam. 10, 1939. H H. RAYMOND SPRING CATCH 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 9, 1937 HOE/x c5 HRAYMOND Patented Jan. 10, 1939 PATENT OFFICE SPRING CATCH Horace H. Raymond, Berlin, Conn, assignor to The Stanley Works,

New Britain, Conn, a

corporation of Connecticut Application January 9 3 Claims.

This invention relates to a spring catch and, more particularly, to a spring catch adapted to secure refrigerator doors and other closures.

It is an aim of the present invention to provide a spring catch of the type described having various features of novelty and advantage and which is particularly characterized by its extreme simplicity in construction, economy in manufacture, and ease and facility with which the parts may be assembled as well as its strength and durability and the facility with which it may be operated.

It is a further object to provide a spring catch having a minimum number of parts, most of which may be formed from sheet metal bent to shape.

It is a still further object of my invention to provide a spring catch which may be easily operated and wherein the parts are prevented from rattling.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved handle of exceedingly economical construction and of very pleasing appearance. i

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out. more in detail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereafter set forth and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my catch showing it applied to a refrigerator door to secure it in position;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of my catch in latched position;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section along line 3-3 of Fig. 2 and showing the catch in opened position;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view of the catch taken substantially along line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view through line 5-5 of 45 Fig. l; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the operating handle in my invention.

Referring to the accompanying drawings illustrating one embodiment of the present invention, I have shown my catch A applied to a swinging closure such as a refrigerator door B movable relative to a suitable door casing C and into and out of latched engagement with a keeper D secured to the door casing. It will, of course, 55 be evident that this invention is applicable to 1937, Serial No. 119,789

any similar use, and it is not desired that it be limited to the present showing.

The catch embodies a main frame or casing it blanked out and bent to form from sheet metal and having substantially parallel spaced side walls H interconnected by a top wall 13. The bottoms of the side walls extend outwardly to form supporting flanges I4 having spaced holes therethrough adapted to receive securing means such as screws I5. An operating handle 16, blanked out from sheet metal and bent to form, has a base I! from the opposed edges of which extend outwardly projecting spaced arms l8. In the present showing, these arms are longitudinally curved at their opposite ends and are cut away from base l1 intermediate of their ends, as at It, to provide a convenient hand grip for the handle. Top wall I3 is cut away, as at 25, to provide a slot open at its rearward end, and a pair of opposed flange portions 20 forming portions of wall I3 extend substantially throughout the length of the slot and to either side thereof.

The base I! has a rearwardly extending lip which is bent downwardly and curled back upon itself to form a sleeve ll located within the rearward open end of slot 20 and journalled upon a transverse pin 22 secured within the side walls H, as by riveting. Pin 22 is preferably so located that when the handle is in a closed position (Fig. 1), base ll will lie flat against wall it. The inner curled end of the lip terminates in a short tongue l1" located intermediate of walls ii. A coiled spring 23, loosely mounted on pin 22 within one end of sleeve I1 and between tongue I7" and a side wall, has one end 23 resiliently engaging a shoulder portion lid of sleeve I1 and the other end 23" resiliently engaging the under side of a flange 28 adjacent to wall II, thus urging handle i6 to a closed position in contact with the casing.

The forward ends of side walls ll have correspondingly depending portions 25 adapted to overlie the edge of door B and to receive a pivotally mounted latch member 28 therebetween. In the present instance, latch 26 is bent to form from a blanked out sheet of metal and is provided with a forwardly extending nose 2'! and opposed side walls 28 journalled at their lower ends upon a transversely extending pin 29 secured within depending portions 25. The side walls 23 are interconnected by a camming face 21' which is bent back at its upper end from nose 2'! to form a lacking face 21 of arcuate contour. Side walls 28 also terminate at their upper ends in a corresponding arcuate contour to form a continuation of face 21''. A coiled spring 38 loosely mounted upon pin 29 between walls 28 has one end 35' resiliently engaging the latch and its other end 35" resiliently engaging a transversely extending pin 3| mounted within side walls I"! somewhat above pin 29 and resiliently tending to urge nose 2? to a forward operative position, as shown in Fig. 1. In the present showing, spring 30 is illustrated as having a pair of spaced coils interconnected by an intermediate projecting U-shaped end 30" engaging pin 3!, and each of the coils has an outwardly projecting end 3% engaging the latch. However, it will be evident that the same result could be accomplished with a spring having a continuous coil and a projection at each end.

A plate 35 is mounted in depending relation beneath the base ii and Within slot 2a to operatively engage a bail 3? secured to latch 26. Plate 35 may be blanked out from sheet metal, and, as herein shown, is provided with two upwardly extending spaced studs 38 received within correspondingly located apertures in base ll and headed over to fasten the plate in position. Plater35 has a rearwardly extending tongue 35' provided with a top face 39 in spaced relation to the bottom of base H and terminating at its forward end in a shoulder Bail t? may comprise a wire of U or hairpin shape having outturned forward ends journalled, as at ti, in the upper ends of walls 23 of latch 25. The rear-- Ward end of the bail 37 terminates in a loop 42 straddling tongue 35 and slidably mounted on surface 39 beneath base ll. Spring 39 normally urges the latch member forwardly to a latching position (Fig. i) and the extreme forward move ment of this latch member is limited by the engagement of loop d2 with shoulder 39. The rearward movement of the latch member and the operative movement of handle it is limited by the latch member abutting against pin 3!, as shown in Fig. 3.

Keeper D which is preferably blanked out from sheet metal and bent to form is provided with spaced side walls as interconnected by a curved end wall 45 and terminating at their respective lower ends in outwardly projecting flanges having holes therethrough to receive suitable securing means such as screws t! for mounting the keeper on a casing C in proper relation to latch member The upper portion of end wall is preferably provided with an extended lip which is curled back upon itself between side walls 44, as at 56, to engage locking face 27 of latch member 26 in camming relation so that the spring catch will resiliently snap into position when the door is pushed shut.

In the operation of my device, handle 55 is swung outwardly from casing is and shoulder 39' engages loop 82 causing latch to be withdrawn from keeper engagement and into the casing from the position shown in Fig. i to the position shown in Fig. 3. Further pulling upon the handle at this time serves to open the door B. Upon release of the handle, springs 23 and 39 cooperate to return the handle and latch members to closed positions. Upon pushing the door shut, lip 50 cams face 21 and nose 27 towards casing l0, after which spring 3i quickly snaps the latch member into camming engagement beneath lip 50 to the position shown in Fig. 1, thus maintaining the door in latched position. It will be appreciated that as the latch member 26 is cammed into position, loop 32 is free to slide rearwardly along surface 353. Hence, the door may be pushed to a latched position without requiring any operative movement of handle E55.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the language used in the following claims is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter or language, might be said to fall therebetween.

I claim as my invention:

i. A spring catch comprising a casing, a latch member pivot-ally supported in the forward end of said casing for movement into and out of latching position, means urging the latch member to a latching position, a handle pivotaliy connected to the rear end of said casing and normally extending forwardly and overlying said casing, means urging the handle towards the casing, said handle having between its ends a plate extending into said casing and forming a slot with an abutment at its forward end, and a U- shaped wire bail operatively connecting said latch member to said plate, said bail having outturned forward ends journalled in openings in said latch member, the closed end of said bail being arranged to operate in said slot and to engage said abutment.

2. In a spring catch, a one piece sheet metal handle comprising an elongated base portion on the handle, and longitudinally curved arms projecting outwardly from the opposite side edges of the base portion in parallel spaced relation and at right angles to the general plane of said base portion.

,. 3. A spring catch comprising a casing having a rearwardly disposed opening in the top thereof, a latch member pivotally supported in the forward end of said casing for movement into and out of latching position, a handle pivoted to the rear end of said casing for swi ging movement into and out of overlying relation to said casing and opening, and a wire connecting member having one end, pivotally connected to said latch member and having its free end loosely connected to said handle adjacent the pivot of the latter, said wire normally lying within the casing whereby when the handle is swung away from said casing the free end of said wire may be moved upwardly through said opening to withdraw said latch member out of latching position.

HORACE H. RAYMOND. 

